1976 SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship

The 1976 SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship ^[1] was the tenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's premier open wheel racing series^[2] and the third to be co-sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the United States Auto Club (USAC).^[3]

The championship was won by Brian Redman driving a Lola T332 Chevrolet.^[4] It was Redman's third consecutive SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship title win.^[5] For the first time in three years, a vehicle other than a Lola won a race, with March and Shadow winning one race each.^[5] 1976 also marked the first race win by a non-Chevrolet powered car since the 1971 season, with a Dodge-powered Shadow winning at Road America.^[5]

1976 was to be the final year of the SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship as the SCCA replaced it with a revived Can Am Series for 1977.^[6] The rules for the new series were to allow the Formula 5000 cars to compete with fully enveloping bodywork.^[6]

Race results

The championship was contested over a seven race series.^[4]

Race ^[7]	Date ^[7]	Location ^[7]	Distance ^[7]	Winning driver ^[7]	Winning car ^[7]
1	May 9	Pocono International Raceway	35 laps	Brian Redman	Lola T332C – Chevrolet V8
2	June 20	Mosport Park	40 laps	Alan Jones	Lola T332 – Chevrolet V8
3	July 11	Watkins Glen International	30 laps	Alan Jones	March 76A – Chevrolet V8
4	July 25	Road America	25 laps	Jackie Oliver	Shadow DN6B – Dodge V8
5	August 8	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	42 laps	Brian Redman	Lola T332C – Chevrolet V8
6	August 28	Road America	20 laps	Brian Redman	Lola T332C – Chevrolet V8
7	October 17	Riverside International Raceway	40 laps	Al Unser	Lola T332 – Chevrolet V8

Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 36-24-16-12-8-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first ten positions in each race.^[4]

Final points standings

Pos	Driver	POC	MOS	WGL	ROA1	MDO	ROA2	RIV	Pts
1	Brian Redman	1	8	6	14	1	1	3	132
2	Al Unser			2	2	4	3	1	112
3	Jackie Oliver	14	2	13	1	2	25	2	108
4	Alan Jones	7	1	1	5	DNS		4	96
5	Danny Ongais	2	4	9	16	3	2	11	78
6	Vern Schuppan	3	6	16	3	20	20	5	45
7	Warwick Brown	16	5	3	4		17	6	41
8	Peter Gethin	18	19	7	9	7	4	10	37
9	Teddy Pilette	12	3	18	6	5	5	12	23
10	Randy Lewis	4	7	12	20	8	10	Wth	20
11	Brett Lunger			4	10	6	26	15	18
12	Horst Kroll	8	13	5	12	14	13		11
13	Skeeter McKitterick	6		11	21	Wth	7	17	9
14	Sam Posey	5	20						8
15	John Cannon	15		21			6	8	8
16	Bob Lazier		9		7	10		18	7
17	Arlon Koops		17	8	11		9		5
18	Evan Noyes	13		DNS	22	11	28	7	4
19	John David Briggs		10	19	DNS	12	8	16	4
20	Tuck Thomas		11		8	DNS			3
21	John Benton	9	12	Wth		13	21	DNQ	2
22	Richard Shirey		16		Wth	9	24		2
23	Patrick Tambay							9	2
24	Bruce Allison	10		Wth	Wth				1
25	Bob Nagel	17	15	10	17	18	12		1
	Geoff Davie	11	18			17	18		0
	Jim Sechser				19		11		0
	Doug Schulz				13		14		0
	John Korn							13	0
	Eppie Wietzes		14						0
	Hunter Harris							14	0
	Peter Papke			14				Wth	0
	Bert Kuehne		21	17	15	16	23		0
	Roger Bighouse					15			0
	Patrick McGonegle						15		0
	John Gunn		DNQ	15					0
	Vic Todia						16		0
	Don Breidenbach				18		DNS	Wth	0
	Ed Kasprowicz						19		0
	Graham McRae		Wth					19	0
	David Purley					19			0
	John Morton			20				24	0
	Rocky Moran							20	0
	Micky Fowler							21	0
	Greg Hodges		22						0
	Dick Kantrud						22		0
	Maurizio Flammini							22	0
	Steve Behr		23						0
	Bob Earl							23	0
	Ed Polley						27	25	0
	Garth Pollard							26	0
	Dick Ferguson						29	DNQ	0
	Derek Bell						30		0
	Gerre Payvis	DNS							0
	Andy Ratcliffe			Wth				DNQ	0
	Dick Messier			DNQ					0
	Michael Brockman							DNQ	0
	Bill Baker		Wth						0
	Robert E. Dugo			Wth					0
	George Follmer							Wth	0
	Gary Matthews							Wth	0
	Chuck Bartlebaugh							Wth	0
	Ron Dykes							Wth	0
Pos	Driver	POC	MOS	WGL	ROA1	MDO	ROA2	RIV	Pts

Color	Result
Gold	Winner
Silver	2nd place
Bronze	3rd place
Green	4th to 10th place (points finish)
Dark Blue	Finished (Outside Top 10)
Purple	Did not finish (Ret)
Red	Did not qualify (DNQ)
Brown	Withdrawn (Wth)
Black	Disqualified (DSQ)
White	Did not start (DNS)
Blank	Did not participate (DNP)
Blank	Not competing

In-line notation
Bold	Pole position

References

^ Jaycee Grand Prix - SCCA/USAC Formula 500 Championship Race, www.myf5000.com Retrieved on 29 May 2014
^ Wolfgang Kopfler, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, pages 7 to 102
^ Wolfgang Kopfler, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, page 81
^ ^a ^b ^c Wolfgang Kopfler, 1976 Formula 5000 Championship, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, pages 101 & 102
^ ^a ^b ^c Gordon Kirby, The Season in the USA, Automobile Year 1976/77, pages 191 to 192
^ ^a ^b Wolfgang Kopfler, The end of Formula 5000, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, page 110
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f US Formula 5000 races 1968-1976, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved on 29 May 2014

[1] Jaycee Grand Prix - SCCA/USAC Formula 500 Championship Race, www.myf5000.com Retrieved on 29 May 2014

[2] Wolfgang Kopfler, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, pages 7 to 102

[3] Wolfgang Kopfler, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, page 81

[Kopfler_101-4] Wolfgang Kopfler, 1976 Formula 5000 Championship, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, pages 101 & 102

[Kirby-5] Gordon Kirby, The Season in the USA, Automobile Year 1976/77, pages 191 to 192

[Kopfler_110-6] Wolfgang Kopfler, The end of Formula 5000, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, page 110

[oldracingcars-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f US Formula 5000 races 1968-1976, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved on 29 May 2014

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